May 27, 2014

Hat Block Collection to be Offered for Sale

Many years ago I purchased a Milliner's lot from a popular milliner Pearl Hemenway, near San Francisco, when I lived in San Jose California. This purchase literally changed my life. It was then that the idea for my shop Rose Mille came into being.

My backyard in San Jose, under the avocado and grapefruit trees.

I wrote a post about the beginning of my shop way back in the 2008 archives, check it out; Once upon a Time.

Before I opened my shop, I was teaching hat making in several places in the Bay Area, and operating a thriving custom bridal veil and hat making business, while simultaneously learning everything I could about the Millinery trade. I learned that these hat blocks, or molds were very important. I would sometimes find one here and there at antique shops. They were expensive but fabulous. I also found a small manufacturer (in Minnesota no less) where I could purchase more modern blocks in any head size. I purchased a crown, a large brim, a charming cloche and a tapered top hat, at over $300 a piece. I did get a lot of use from those, and still will.

One day I was shopping at an antiques show where there was a booth filled with vintage and antique hats, mostly from the 1910's and 20's, they were fabric, and fabulous, and very expensive I might add, but hats from that era are very rare as they did not last too long. I chatted with the owner and gave her my "Custom Millinery" business card.

It wasn't long before I received a call from the agent of Pearl Hemenway, the milliner in San Francisco. The agent had picked up my card at the shop of the women I spoke with at the antiques show, and thought I would be interested in looking at Pearl's estate. My heart started racing so fast, I called Bob at work and asked him to come get me and take me to Pearl's, he did and we did. When Pearl took us into her Millinery workshop, we were weak in the knees and had to leave the room to get some air. It was like the scene from Jurassic Park where the scientists first see the live dinosaurs. We had never seen more than 5 hat blocks together in one place let alone over 500. Even Bob was stunned, and he thinks they are really cool wood sculptures.

In summary, I purchased everything, all the hat blocks, millinery flowers, hats, beads, fabrics, and all the trappings of a milliner from the 1930's through the 1960's. Right away I sold almost 200 of them, mostly to my friend Heidi. She was so envious I just had to share.

I never thought I would say this, but I still have too many of them.

So what are these blocks that I am talking about? They are rare molds to shape all different kinds of hats. They are almost always made of wood, and they can be made in one piece or they can be what I call puzzle blocks, which are made to come apart so that the hat can be removed once dry, without distorting it. Every single one of my blocks are different, for a different style women's hats.

After I hauled over 300 of them across the country to Minnesota, my husband made a special room for storing them and there most of them sat, waiting for me to use them or share them or something. I did not do hardly anything with them, but it's time I do.

I have spent many hours over the past week, sorting out the ones I would be willing to sell, dusting them off and cataloging them. There are 125 blocks that I will be offering for sale in the very near future. Being that these are so rare, I will be announcing a date that I will offer the entire 125 piece collection as a lot, with a fabulous discount for that lucky person or organization who wants them all. The prices range from $50 to $300 each, most averaging $175-$225.

If they are still around a week or so after that, I will offer them individually with the incentive that the more you buy the better the price.

A funny thing happened to me after I pulled out the ones to sell, as I looked over what was left, guess what? I am inspired to make some hats! We shall see.

Okay, I have said too much already. Further details will be revealed shortly.

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Hat Block Collection to be Offered for Sale

Many years ago I purchased a Milliner's lot from a popular milliner Pearl Hemenway, near San Francisco, when I lived in San Jose California. This purchase literally changed my life. It was then that the idea for my shop Rose Mille came into being.

My backyard in San Jose, under the avocado and grapefruit trees.

I wrote a post about the beginning of my shop way back in the 2008 archives, check it out; Once upon a Time.

Before I opened my shop, I was teaching hat making in several places in the Bay Area, and operating a thriving custom bridal veil and hat making business, while simultaneously learning everything I could about the Millinery trade. I learned that these hat blocks, or molds were very important. I would sometimes find one here and there at antique shops. They were expensive but fabulous. I also found a small manufacturer (in Minnesota no less) where I could purchase more modern blocks in any head size. I purchased a crown, a large brim, a charming cloche and a tapered top hat, at over $300 a piece. I did get a lot of use from those, and still will.

One day I was shopping at an antiques show where there was a booth filled with vintage and antique hats, mostly from the 1910's and 20's, they were fabric, and fabulous, and very expensive I might add, but hats from that era are very rare as they did not last too long. I chatted with the owner and gave her my "Custom Millinery" business card.

It wasn't long before I received a call from the agent of Pearl Hemenway, the milliner in San Francisco. The agent had picked up my card at the shop of the women I spoke with at the antiques show, and thought I would be interested in looking at Pearl's estate. My heart started racing so fast, I called Bob at work and asked him to come get me and take me to Pearl's, he did and we did. When Pearl took us into her Millinery workshop, we were weak in the knees and had to leave the room to get some air. It was like the scene from Jurassic Park where the scientists first see the live dinosaurs. We had never seen more than 5 hat blocks together in one place let alone over 500. Even Bob was stunned, and he thinks they are really cool wood sculptures.

In summary, I purchased everything, all the hat blocks, millinery flowers, hats, beads, fabrics, and all the trappings of a milliner from the 1930's through the 1960's. Right away I sold almost 200 of them, mostly to my friend Heidi. She was so envious I just had to share.

I never thought I would say this, but I still have too many of them.

So what are these blocks that I am talking about? They are rare molds to shape all different kinds of hats. They are almost always made of wood, and they can be made in one piece or they can be what I call puzzle blocks, which are made to come apart so that the hat can be removed once dry, without distorting it. Every single one of my blocks are different, for a different style women's hats.

After I hauled over 300 of them across the country to Minnesota, my husband made a special room for storing them and there most of them sat, waiting for me to use them or share them or something. I did not do hardly anything with them, but it's time I do.

I have spent many hours over the past week, sorting out the ones I would be willing to sell, dusting them off and cataloging them. There are 125 blocks that I will be offering for sale in the very near future. Being that these are so rare, I will be announcing a date that I will offer the entire 125 piece collection as a lot, with a fabulous discount for that lucky person or organization who wants them all. The prices range from $50 to $300 each, most averaging $175-$225.

If they are still around a week or so after that, I will offer them individually with the incentive that the more you buy the better the price.

A funny thing happened to me after I pulled out the ones to sell, as I looked over what was left, guess what? I am inspired to make some hats! We shall see.

Okay, I have said too much already. Further details will be revealed shortly.